It Feels Like Home
by Kali Cephirot
Summary: Yozak wonders if Dai Shimaron was ever his home. [ConradYozak]


**It Feels Like Home**

It was the first time in his life he was away from Dai Shimeron. Yozak wondered for a moment on what he should be feeling about it. Dai Shimeron had been his home for almost thirty years… and still, since his mother had died, it hadn't felt like that.

He shivered a bit, blowing over cold (almost numb) fingers. They couldn't risk to light too many fires, and most of the women and children were near the only one they had. He had been offered to stay there, but he wasn't a kid anymore, and he was determined to prove that..

There was a soft touch over his shoulder and he almost jumped out of his skin. Dan Hiri's son, Conrad, seemed apologetic of having surprised him, and Yozak was embarrassed that just a touch had scared him. He also noticed Conrad had two steaming cups, held precariously with only one hand.

"Are you okay?" the other boy asked softly, and Yozak moved quickly to take one of the cups before it fell, unable to hide a small wince when the warmth the cup offered made his cold fingers ache a bit, barely barely giving a soft hum as a thank you.

He was surprised when he felt something warmth and heavy slid over his shoulders, the action so familiar and so missed. The fact that there was another sweet smile on the other side didn't make it better either.

"You don't have to…" he said softly to the other boy, who had sat besides him, his travel cloak now over both their shoulders, but even so he was holding the warm material spilling over his shoulder.

"It's warmer like this, right?" Conrad mused out loud, taking a sip of the steaming tea. "Are you alright, Yozak?"

"Me? Yeah…" he said, eyes focused on the steam rolling from the cup. "I was just wondering…"

"About?"

"What kind of country is Shin Makoku?" He asked, turning out just a bit to be able to see Conrad more clearly. He had vague recollections of his father telling him about long, everlasting fields of grass and deep forest and animals so amazing that at times he had felt his father was probably exaggerating.

Conrad hummed, a light frown over his face while he thought.

"It's home." Conrad said finally, half closing his eyes as if he could see the lands of his home country right in front of him. "It doesn't have anything in special that I could tell you to make it more beautiful… but for me, it is. There's never a place that has the sky as blue or the water as clear or the food as tasty as it is over there." Yozak decided, right then and there, that he liked _that_ smile over Conrad's face. Not the one he had been giving all day long towards everything and everyone, but the one that seemed a bit homesick, more honest. Conrad turned towards him then and Yozak busied himself with his drink, annoyed when he felt himself blush. "But probably everyone thinks the same about their home, right?"

Yozak looked up. There were a couple of stars shining through the thick, dark clouds and he remembered his mother telling him that people's spirits live over the stars. His hands tightened a bit the hold over the cup.

"I wonder if Dai Shimeron is my home." He wondered out loud, biting his lip to avoid taking it back. If he had already said it, he should stick with it, after all. Especially since it was true.

Conrad looked at him and Yozak refused to look down, instead imagining he could actually picture the stars above.

"Do you think it is?"

Yozak shrugged. "Dunno… I guess…"

"Father once told me that home is the place where you have something in this world that you want to protect more than anything." Conrad said, also looking up. By instinct, Yozak held upon the bit of cape when he felt it slip over his shoulder, moving it back towards him and shifted a bit closer, as to not take more off of Conrad's, both still staring at those two lonely stars submerged between the clouds.

Something you want to protect more than anything…

"Do you have something like that in Shin Makoku, Conrad?" Yozak asked, turning to look to Conrad. He seemed surprised at the question, blinking for a moment while he thought before shrugging a bit.

"I don't know yet." Conrad smiled, shrugging slightly. "I've my mother, an older and a younger brother, and of course I want to protect them, but I don't know yet… my little brother, maybe?"

"Your little brother? Really?" At his tone of voice, Conrad laughed a bit, his shoulder trembling against Yozak's arm.

"I don't know if it'll be him what I'll need to protect more than anything, but, for now and until that other person or thing comes… yes."

"You're pretty devoted to him." Yozak said, blinking a bit, even more surprised when Conrad's shoulders started to tremble in mirth.

"Maybe a bit… but I'm happy protecting him, until he learns to do so himself."

With the last of his tea gone, Conrad left the cup over the floor and Yozak hurried to drink the last of his to do the same, crossing his arms as to avoid moving his hands too much.

"What about you, Yozak?" Conrad asked, hands over his knees. Yozak tilted his head, wondering a bit.

"I…" he shook his head finally, with just a hint of sadness creeping into his voice. "… there's nothing like that here."

Conrad, softly, nudged his shoulder with his, eyes focused on the light the fire made and Yozak imitated him, taking a deep breath, thinking that it was one of the last breaths he took in Dai Shimeron..

"I'm sure you'll find it, Yozak." Conrad said, again giving him that smile that was completely warm, only that this time, Yozak smiled back. He was certain that he'd find it too. He'd figure it out somehow.


End file.
